What Part of “TWEEEET” Don’t You Understand?

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.

~Victor Borges

I saw a great scene on the street today; one of those rare instants in city life where everyone, despite their schedules and preoccupations and agendas, is briefly united in laughter.

My apartment is right near Nikitsky Gates Square. It is historic and kind of pretty, but not much of a square, really; more like a large intersection of several busy streets. Last evening it got crowded with traffic. A 700 series BMW full of “new Russians” was stuck in the intersection and blocking two lanes of crossing traffic. The traffic cop posted there began blowing his whistle. No reaction from the lady driving the car. She was too busy chatting happily with her 4 passengers.

The cop whistled a couple more times, each time more insistently. Still no reaction as traffic piled up, unable to get past the stranded BMW. Finally, the cop walked over to the car and tapped on the window. Surprised, the driver rolled down the glass. Without a word, the cop put the whistle back in his mouth, leaned in the window and blew with all his might his angriest and longest tweet yet. He still didn’t say a word, and abruptly gestured for the BMW to move. The people in the car were in hysterics. All the pedestrians laughed and applauded the cop. Drivers in surrounding cars laughed and honked their horns.

Traffic patterns resumed quickly, and so did the pattern of life in Moscow.